AT ONCE they left their nets and followed him. – Matthew 4:20
I could just stay. I could pray another prayer asking God to give me direction when He has already confirmed what He is calling me to do.
I could stay safe, because if I’m honest with myself, where God is calling me to next is the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done.
I could hold on to who I am and what I have, because where I am in my life right now is exactly where I want to be.
I could just wait and make myself comfortable thinking I didn’t hear Him.
But He has called me higher.
I could just stay… but…
He is calling me to go.
If you were to ask me what my heart desires, what I’m passionate about, and what I know God has called to do… I would tell you with excitement and a heart full of love that I know I was put on this Earth to tell people about Jesus. I want my life to SCREAM His name and I want God to receive Glory through every breath I take, every move I make, and every way I serve Him.
You see…He could have stayed.
He could have chosen to disobey God, yet every area of His live screamed “Yes!” He could have decided to throw down the cross and walk away, yet He embraced it… for me. He could have stayed on His throne… but… where would that leave me?
If He is calling me to go tell people who have never heard and I stay… where does that leave them?
He could have stayed on Earth to tell people through every generation that He is God. He could have been the one to feed the hungry and reach the people that no one else can. He could have stayed… but… because there was a sacrifice needed He took our pain, our beating, and our death. In return, He just asks us to live for Him. He could have stayed… but… He wanted US to have an abundant life. He wanted to live His life through us.
When I gave my life to Christ, I made my heavenly Father a promise. That I would go wherever He would lead me, and wherever I go… I would tell people about Him. That promise took me to the top of a mountain to Global Youth Ministry, then to the jungle in Belize, and now to a little town called Sugar Hill. Many disagreed, many left my side, and I’ve felt pain I could never express in a little blog. Yet… above it all… in every season I have been given the peace and confirmation that I am exactly where God wants me. Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING tops that. No earthly encouragement, reward, or pats on the back.
Now, He is calling me to go again. This time on an adventure with Him I never thought I would walk out on the water to.
The World Race. 11 Countries. 11 Months.
I would be a missionary with an organization called Adventures in Missions, where I would embark on a journey to 11 different countries. Loving on orphans, praying with the sick in hospitals, mentoring and working with girls in sex trafficking, reaching unreached people groups, construction on homes and churches… I could go on and on but I will sum it up with this… I’m going to be the hands and feet of Jesus in 11 different countries.
“Where does this leave your girls that you have been pouring into these last two years? Don’t you feel like you should stay and continue on in your ministry?”
Good question!
If there is anything I want for my girls, it’s for them to have an intimate and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. A relationship not dependent on any person nor any circumstance. Above all, I want them to know they are deeply loved by a man who died so that they might have life to the fullest. I want them to choose for themselves to follow Him with their entire life, because… well… He is so worth it. I want them to be obedient to whatever He is calling them to do, because I know that is when they will fully experience Him and all the miraculous things He has for their life. So, should I teach them with just my words, or with my life as well? Will I look at them and tell them God called me to something, but I felt it wasn’t for me? Or will they be able to watch my life and say, “THAT is obedience to Jesus Christ, and THAT is the life I want to live”
I could stay to teach them… but my obedience to go screams louder than any words I could tell them.
What do I need?
I need prayer and I so desperately need support. I need warriors to stand behind me and go before the Lord on my behalf. I will be leaving September 2015 to do the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. There is a lot I will loose, but there is so much more I will gain.
Jim Elliot once said, “He is no fool who gives what He can not keep to gain what He can not lose.”
I also have over $16,000 to raise in funds in order to do this mission. I am asking for support in any specific way the Lord may be calling you. I have no doubts and no fears that He will do exactly what He has promised. Where He guides, He also provides.
I guess in a way I just want to take you on this journey with me. I want you to look into the eyes of a child who was called “orphan” but received Hope when told that they have a Father who loves them more than they could imagine. I want you to experience the joy of a young girl who receives freedom where she has been held captive for so long. I want you to be a part and receive all the Lord has for you in this.
I’m not begging you to hop on the plane with me, nor am I begging you to give all your money. I’m asking you to be obedient in whatever God is telling you to do. If that’s to give to another mission… please do not hesitate and please invest your money there! If you would rather buy some chicken tenders from Shane’s Rib Shack, TRUST ME, No judgment here. Amen. But if He is specifically calling you for this time and this season to invest in His plan for my life, I would be forever grateful.
He in some way calls us all to go.
We could hesitate and question Him… but… “It’s only called Good News if it gets there in time.”
In His Love,
Anissa
